Details

The knowledge of the economist and the skill of the linguist make a powerful combination in today’s world. With growing globalisation and increasing interdependence in political and commercial life, there is a clear need for graduates equipped with both these abilities.

85% of our graduates go on to careers in professional or managerial jobs

95% students believe that they have improved career prospects as a result of this course

Average starting salaries for our graduates of £26,000

Business education since 1902

Business education was pioneered at Birmingham. As the country’s first Business School, our range of undergraduate degree courses have always been designed to provide both academic excellence and vocational relevance.

First year

The Economics with Language programmes retain the core structure of the Single Honours Economics degree. They introduce you to the basic concepts and techniques in Economic Analysis, Applied Economics, Mathematics and Statistics, and Economic History. You also take a language module of your choice, which introduces you to the social and political background of the country concerned.

Second year

In this year you take compulsory modules in Microeconomics and Macroeconomics, and a language course. The language option includes the exploration of the social and political life and the economic system of the country concerned. You also take a course in Econometrics and choose from a wide range of options including Economic Development and Environmental Economics.

Third year

In the third year you study economics in an appropriate overseas university. You select courses in consultation with your tutor, but the aim is for you to study areas of economics you would not normally have experience of in the UK. You are required to write two essays on Economics topics, one of which will be in the language that you are studying.

Fourth year

You return to Birmingham in the fourth year. In addition, you take a compulsory module in Economic Theory and choose six optional economics modules from a range that includes International Trade, Economics of Financial Markets and European Economics. You also undertake your own research and produce an extended essay on a topic of your own choosing.

If you want to take advantage of a unique opportunity to be supported with a work placement opportunity as part of your final year, this course includes the opportunity to undertake a 'Professional Development' module as part of your optional module choices.

Why study this course

Taught by leading economists and with an impressive faculty alumni - we’re renowned for producing high-calibre graduates.

87% student satisfaction i.e. students satisfied with the overall quality of this course (NSS 2014)

84% of our students rated staff good at explaining things (NSS 2014)

87% students believe that they have improved career prospects as a result of this course (NSS 2014)

There are lots of opportunities available for you to develop skills employers value both within your degree programme and outside. For example:

You can apply for an internship, with university funded bursaries to help with costs

Join our Personal Skills Award (PSA) scheme, which credits the work you do on a voluntary activities outside your degree, or through extra modules you can take over 2 years

Become ‘enterprising’ and take advantage of mentoring and help from loads of ‘Entrepreneurship and Innovation’ activities on campus

Or you could get involved in our Alumni Mentoring scheme and learn from the best of the best

There is also a dedicated team of people who can help and support you including careers and employability advisers, internship officers and an application support adviser who specialise in working with students just like you. You can ask for individual advice, attend workshops and careers events tailored to your degree programme. You can browse web resources, which includes careers information, job adverts for work experience and internships, details of careers fairs and events such as presentations from past graduates.

Birmingham is just the start of the journey. We’ll make sure you have all the support you need to help you develop, gain knowledge and the confidence you will need to make decisions about your future.

This course includes the unique opportunity to be supported with a work placement opportunity as part of your final year, undertaking a 'Professional Development' module as part of your optional module choices.

Choose 60 Optional credits from the following. 20 credits of these may be Modules Outside the Main Discipline, if you wish. Where modules are linked both elements must be taken.

Depending on your chosen course of study, you may also be interested in the Birmingham Foundation Academy, a specially structured programme for international students whose qualifications are not accepted for direct entry to UK universities. Further details can be found on the foundation academy web pages.

Key Information Set (KIS)

Key Information Sets (KIS) are comparable sets of information about full- or part-time undergraduate courses and are designed to meet the information needs of prospective students.

All KIS information has been published on the Unistats website and can also be accessed via the small advert, or ‘widget’, below. On the Unistats website you are able to compare all the KIS data for each course with data for other courses.

The development of Key Information Sets (KIS) formed part of HEFCE’s work to enhance the information that is available about higher education. They give you access to reliable and comparable information in order to help you make informed decisions about what and where to study.

The KIS contains information which prospective students have identified as useful, such as student satisfaction, graduate outcomes, learning and teaching activities, assessment methods, tuition fees and student finance, accommodation and professional accreditation.

Learning and teaching

An undergraduate Economics student discusses how guest lecturers, such as Professor Al Roth, can enhance the student experience.

Economics is a department within Birmingham Business School, which has many strong links with industry. As well as exploring theoretical aspects, you’ll find that your degree has a strong practical focus, and this is reflected in the way you’ll be taught.

Learning from experts in their field, you will be encouraged to think for yourself and will experience a number of different learning settings, including lectures, tutorials and even the opportunity to be involved in our Economics Laboratory.

Our aim is to equip you with specific skills in economics, but also generic skills that can be applied right across the job spectrum, such as analytical and data analysis.

As a Birmingham student you are part of an academic elite and will learn from world-leading experts.

How will I be taught?

During your time at the Business School you will experience teaching through a mixture of lectures and tutorials. Small-group tutorials/personal tutorials run alongside our lectures, addressing any individual problems you may have and allowing you to consolidate lecture material, as well as test your understanding through problem-solving exercises.

Self study is an essential part of the programme and requires self motivation and enthusiasm for your subject and allows you to pursue your own lines of enquiry and become an independent thinker.

Assessment

You are assessed mainly through examinations, with some assessed assignments for more practical modules. Whilst abroad you will complete an essay, which is to be examined for both language and economics content, and you will also write an extended essay in your fourth year, allowing you to consolidate the wide range of your acquired skills.

Skills gained

At the end of this degree, you should have a good appreciation of economics relating to financial markets and institutions; quantitative techniques for empirical analysis of economic and financial data; accounting concepts relevant to financial market analysis; the legal aspects of financial services; and the history, culture, political structure and economy of the relevant European country, allied to a high level of linguistic skill.

Contact hours

As well as time with your lecturers and personal tutor, academic and professional services staff (like our dedicated Careers Network team) will be available to offer individual and group support throughout your time here at Birmingham.

Learning Settings

Your learning will take place in a range of different settings, from scheduled teaching in lectures and small group tutorials, to self-study and peer group learning (for example preparing and delivering presentations with your classmates).

Click and drag in the image above to take a virtual tour of our campus.

You’ll find our Economics department staff here at Birmingham located in a building at the heart of our world famous main campus in Edgbaston, Birmingham. The main Edgbaston campus is close to the city centre but has all the amenities of a small town, as well as its own railway station.

In 2012, Birmingham Business School founded and invested in The Birmingham Experimental Economics Laboratory (BEEL) which enables economics experiments to take place on campus. The laboratory focuses on research into individual and strategic decision making and students are actively encouraged to participate in these experiments.

Support

To begin with you may find this way of working challenging, but rest assured that we’ll enable you to make this transition. You will have access to a comprehensive support system that will assist and encourage you, including personal tutors and welfare tutors who can help with both academic and welfare issues, and a formal transition review during your first year to check on your progress and offer you help for any particular areas where you need support.

Our Academic Skills Centre also offers you support with your learning. The centre is a place where you can develop your mathematical, academic writing and general academic skills. It is the centre’s aim to help you to become a more effective and independent learner through the use of a range of high-quality and appropriate learning support services. These range from drop-in sessions with support with mathematics and statistics based problems provided by experienced mathematicians, to workshops on a range of topics including note talking, reading, writing and presentation skills.

Virtual and enquiry based learning

Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is an excellent tool for supporting our academic courses, allowing you to share thoughts on assignments with other students via the discussion group facilities, and even submit your work electronically.

Enquiry Based Learning (EBL) is a group activity which requires you to work in a team, with a variety of assessment methods; in either a group or individually, by written reports and sometimes as a presentation. Based on techniques used in research-led organisations like the University of Birmingham, EBL gives you a research-orientated approach to a problem and helps you to gain essential skills that are highly valued by employers.

Assessment methods

Studying at degree-level is likely to be very different from your previous experience of learning and teaching. You will be expected to think, discuss and engage critically with the subject and find things out for yourself. We will enable you to make this transition to a new style of learning, and the way that you are assessed during your studies will help you develop the essential skills you need to make a success of your time at Birmingham.

You’ll be assessed in a variety of ways, and these may be different with each module that you take. You will be assessed through coursework which may take the form of essays, group and individual presentations and formal exams.

During your first year you will undergo a formal ‘transition’ review to see how you are getting on and if there are particular areas where you need support. This is in addition to the personal tutor who is based in your school or department and can help with any academic issues you encounter.

At the beginning of each module, you’ll be given information on how and when you’ll be assessed for that particular programme of study. You’ll receive feedback on each assessment within four weeks, so that you can learn from and build on what you have done. You’ll be given feedback on any exams that you take; if you should fail an exam we will ensure that particularly detailed feedback is made available to enable you to learn for the future.

Employability

At the end of four years you will be well-versed in economic concepts, have the ability to analyse issues with an economist’s viewpoint, have attained a high level of spoken and written language skills, and be familiar with another European country. These degrees are of great practical value and appeal to prospective employers both in the UK and continental Europe.

Career opportunities

A degree in Economics provides the skills required for a very wide range of careers and employers will value the training that an Economics degree provides. These skills and training are useful in the financial sector, general commerce, public sector, journalism and education to name but a few.

Our business degrees have long been recognised by major employers across all sectors of the economy. Our students find employment in areas as diverse as retail management, financial services, accountancy, motor manufacturing, management consultancy and pharmaceuticals; some become self employed.

The University of Birmingham is known to produce high quality graduates and therefore students are in high demand when they have completed their study.

Your Birmingham degree

Your Birmingham degree is evidence of your ability to succeed in a demanding academic environment. Employers target Birmingham students for their drive, diversity, communication and problem-solving skills, their team-working abilities and cultural awareness, and our graduate employment statistics have continued to climb at a rate well above national trends. If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Careers Network

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CV’s and job applications will help give you the edge. In addition, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA) recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

We also offer voluntary work which complements your studies by helping you gain practical experiences in occupational settings while contributing back to society. This can bring new skills that will be useful throughout your future and can make a positive impact on your learning whilst at university. Volunteering enables you to develop skills such as communication, interpersonal skills, teamwork, self-confidence and self-discipline all of which can be transferred into your studies.